Belle Gibson Fined $410,000 Over False Cancer Claims

‘The Whole Pantry’ author and blogger was found guilty of misleading and deceptive conduct.

Sep 28, 2017 2:57am

By Mahalia Chang

Disgraced wellness blogger Belle Gibson has been fined $410,000 after being found guilty of misleading and deceptive conduct, reports the ABC.

Justice Debbie Mortimer of the Federal Court in Melbourne handed down the fine to Gibson, who claimed in 2015 that she had cured her own inoperable cancers—including a brain tumour—through nutrition and wellness therapies. After the release of a cookbook, and app and several other wellness ventures, it was found out that Gibson had never suffered from the disease, and had fabricated her claims.

Before her book was pulled from shelves and app cancelled, Gibson made $420,000 in earnings.

Consumer Affairs Victoria (CAV) was the department to launch the initial investigation into Gibson, and later brought a civil case against her.

Justice Mortimer handed down five separate fines for contraventions of the Australian Consumer Law Act, which represented "most but not all" of the allegations included in CAV's case.

The fines included:

$90,000 for failing to donate proceeds from the sale of The Whole Pantry app, as publicly advertised

$50,000 for failing to donate proceeds from the launch of The Whole Pantry app

$30,000 for failing to donate proceeds from a 2014 Mother’s Day event

$90,000 for failing to donate other company profits

$150,000 for failing to donate 100 per cent of one week's app sales to the family of Joshua Schwarz, a boy who had an inoperable brain tumour

In 2015 and 2016 Gibson's case was the subject of intense scrutiny and backlash, after it was found she promoted alternative therapies and wellness ventures over traditional cancer treatments, which allegedly misled vulnerable patients into forgoing treatments.